Today, many electronic devices and systems require a form of user authentication. For example, in a payment system, a fingerprint verification device may be used to initiate a payment and to authenticate a user. The fingerprint verification device may for example take the form of, or be embedded in, a smart card. More specifically, in addition to conventional user authentication via a personal identification number (PIN), a smart card may also include a fingerprint sensor for capturing the user's fingerprint. In that case, the captured fingerprint may be used to ascertain that the smart card is presented to a terminal by its rightful owner, for example. However, it may difficult to implement a fingerprint sensor with a high sensitivity in a fingerprint verification device of the kind set forth.